Sex and the City is one of the most beloved shows of all time due to its candid and less-than-glamorous take on dating as a 30-something woman in New York City. It centers around four very different women, Miranda (the business-minded tough lady), Carrie (the imperfect creative-type), Charlotte (the wannabe Elizabeth Taylor), and Samantha (the sex-positive, unapologetic queen). For six seasons, the series provided us with brilliant content, and this list takes a look at some of the best episodes in the history of SATC.
Here are the top 10 episodes of our favorite NYC show that will certainly make you want to rewatch the series all over again!
THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE VIAGRA
If you were to show your begrudging Fast-and-Furious-obsessed boyfriend an episode of Sex and the City that would perfectly sum up the show's essence, "The Man, The Myth, The Viagra" would be a perfect choice. This episode boasts everything the series does best, from killer romance scenes to Samantha's ridiculous sexcapades. In this episode, Miranda and Steve meet for the first time in one of the hottest scenes of the show, regardless of the fact that they're both fully clothed.
Also included in the episode is Mr. Big disappointing Carrie as per usual by not going out for drinks with her and her friends. Just when Carrie's soul is about to shatter all over her Manolo shoes, Big shows up and proves to Miranda that men can hold onto their promises. This causes her to go all Holly Golightly a-la Breakfast at Tiffany's when she runs over to Steve in the pouring rain in order to lay a passionate kiss on those bartender's lips.
RUNNING WITH SCISSORS
If you're in the mood for an episode that provides the real tea, this is surely the one to do it. This season 3 episode is the height of the show's dramatic streak that involves Carrie and Big's sexual affair despite Big being married to Natasha and Carrie being in a serious relationship with her golden retriever boyfriend, Aidan.
We are now exposed to the darkest side of Carrie Bradshaw, who is one of the first female anti-heroes in TV history. Her severe lack of perfectionism is fully exposed in "Running With Scissors," making female viewers feel less alone in the fact that we're not always exemplary angels. Plus, this is the episode that features Natasha falling down the stairs and breaking her tooth after she catches Carrie running out of their house minutes after her affair with Big. The scene is so dramatic, it makes Jessie Spano's "I'm so excited" moment from Saved By The Bell seem tame in comparison.
Meanwhile, Miranda gets cat-called by a Hot Dog. Yeah. That happened.
PICK-A-LITTLE, TALK-A-LITTLE
This is the season 6 episode which features that memorable moment involving Charlotte and Harry in perhaps their first and only fight because, let's face it, they're perfect together. In the scene, Harry is trying to catch a baseball game on TV. Meanwhile, Charlotte has worked endlessly to prepare her first Shabbat dinner with Harry, yet like any typical guy, Harry just wants to watch the game. This results in a huge fight where Charlotte blurts out the fact that she is insecure over how they look together as a couple.
"Do you know what people think when they see us together, do you?" she asks him, furious. "Yeah, I know what people are thinking," Harry says, hurt. "I just didn't know you were one of them." YIKES. The scene is so intense, our ears are burning just thinking about it.
AN AMERICAN GIRL IN PARIS
The series finale of SATC does not fail to satisfy dedicated viewers who get a perfect wrap-up with their favorite New York City women. Series finales are almost always met with disappointment by fans because everyone has their own perfect idea of a perfect ending to a nearly perfect show. An American Girl In Paris is as good of a finale as you can get because it hits on all of the series' best themes (yet does so in Paris)!
Plus, this is the episode where after a DECADE of yearning, Big finally tells Carrie with complete certainty that she's the one! (He is, of course, referring to the dramatic moment when she asks him if she's "the one" back at the way beginning of the series). Also, Big references that Miranda, Charlotte, and Samantha are the true loves of Carrie's life, which makes our hearts fill up with all of the feelings.
CATCH-38
This episode is revolutionary for television because, for the first time, we are given a female character on TV who makes the decision not to have children. She just doesn't know if she has the time to take care of a kid being the career-driven woman that she is, despite Charlotte's insistence that Carrie will one day have a bunch of little rugrats running around, perhaps with her same wild curls and "sense of humor" (if you could call it that).
In a way, this episode helps a lot of women realize they have a choice as to whether or not they even want to have children. This is one of the many reasons why Sex and the City is so unique and memorable because it never ends up the way you'd expect it to.
DON'T ASK, DON'T TELL
In this episode, Charlotte hesitantly marries Trey despite the fact that he can't "get it up" due to his Madonna complex with her. Their marriage is the perfect example of the idea that "everything is not what it seems." While they are seemingly perfect on the outside, their marriage is dry and miserable behind closed doors.
Meanwhile, Carrie confesses the truth about her affair with Big to Aidan, who is so visibly hurt that it makes us tear up a little. You can also tell how remorseful Carrie is when she cries and it is clear that although she seems to still love Big, she also truly loves Aidan.
THE BIG JOURNEY
While this episode features the hilarious adventures of Carrie and Samantha as they go on a never-ending train ride to Napa, the best part of this episode comes from Harry Goldenblatt and Charlotte York as their romance comes into full bloom. Harry successfully seduces Charlotte with his classic line "What does it take?" as Low-Fidelity Allstars' "Somebody Needs You" booms on the loudspeakers.
He goes on to tell Charlotte everything she's ever wanted to hear from a man, yet she is conflicted over the fact that she doesn't find him to be conventionally attractive. After he moves her with his words, though, all walls are broken down and she wastes no time to go all in with Harry. It's easily the most romantic scene in the entire series, which is saying something, considering this show is all about love and relationships.
TWENTY-SOMETHING GIRLS VS THIRTY-SOMETHING WOMEN
In this episode, Carrie, Charlotte, Samantha, and Miranda go on a trip to The Hamptons, where all sorts of issues ensue as the four of them begin to see the true stark contrast of women in their thirties vs. "girls" in their 20s. It's basically as if Girls and Sex and the City did a cross-over episode, and it's pretty brilliant.
Plus, this is the episode when Carrie finds out Big now has a girlfriend in her twenties who is so beautiful and perfect it could make anyone puke—including Carrie, who actually pukes. It is the peak of vulnerability for Carrie, and we appreciate how relatable this episode gets with its emotions.
EX & THE CITY
Sex and the City is always at its best when Carrie Bradshaw is being dragged down into a whirlpool of self-depreciation. "Ex and the City" is the perfect example of this scenario when Carrie gets her heart shattered after Big tells her he and Natasha are getting married. The worst part is, at the beginning of the episode, her hopes are insanely high that he's still got the hots for her.
Turns out, he was far from it, and this unfortunate dynamic is one all of us viewers have been able to relate to at one point or another when it comes to our dating lives. This episode proves it's better to be unique and wild rather than perfect and tamed.
THE ICK FACTOR
Who knew an episode of Sex and the City could make us go through a whole box of tissues due to the amount of tears (and snot) it causes one to produce? In this episode, Samantha discovers she has breast cancer while Steve and Miranda get married in a modest wedding ceremony.
The moment when Samantha tells her friends what she had recently discovered about her health is what truly brings the women together in a way we have never seen before. This episode is full proof that Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda are the true soulmates of Sex and the City.
What's your favorite episode of the series?